Latest news with #ToddRowell
CBS News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Colorado sheriff files lawsuit against Gov. Polis, attorney general after ICE detainment following traffic stop
The sheriff of Mesa County in Western Colorado has filed a counter-lawsuit against Gov. Jared Polis and Attorney General Phil Weiser after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainment of a 19-year-old Utah college student following a traffic stop earlier this summer. She was detained by ICE in Aurora for 15 days. Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell, Mesa County Undersheriff Matthew King, and Mesa County Sheriff's Office Investigations and Special Teams Captain Curtis Brammer are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Rowell et al. v. Weiser et al., which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on Aug. 7. They claim state immigration law is too vague. Lawrence Pacheco, spokesman for the Colorado Attorney General's Office, said in a statement Wednesday to CBS Colorado, "Colorado law is clear that law enforcement does law enforcement and not federal civil immigration enforcement. It's unfortunate that Mesa County filed this lawsuit. The Department of Law has a responsibility to follow facts and defend and enforce state law. We'll continue to take this duty seriously." On June 5, Deputy Alexander Zwinck pulled over Caroline Dias Goncalves for allegedly following another vehicle too closely, and he let her go with a warning. Zwinck reportedly shared the personal information of Dias Goncalves, who is originally from Brazil, in a Signal chat, which included ICE officials, leading to her later detainment by ICE agents.[This track is repeated later. I think it makes more sense to remove this one.] A few weeks ago, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed a lawsuit against a Mesa County sheriff's deputy, who Weiser claims led federal immigration officers to a woman allegedly in the U.S. on an expired visa after a traffic stop. That deputy was allegedly using an encrypted Signal chat with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Dias Goncalves, a nursing student living in Utah, was detained for more than 2 weeks by ICE and then released. According to Weiser, who is running for governor, she described the experience as "the worst experience of her life." The Mesa County Sheriff's Office has since removed itself from Signal.r The lawsuit filed in July by Weiser asserts that Zwinck unlawfully asked about, and then shared, the driver's personal identifying information with ICE. Colorado law places limits on the information local law enforcement officials can provide to federal immigration agents. The Board of Mesa County Commissioners unanimously voted on Aug. 5 to approve the authorization to file the lawsuit against Polis and Weiser to "protect the constitutional rights of Mesa County employees and to approve the use of public funds for legal representation." After the initial lawsuit was filed by Weiser, Rowell apologized for the incident and asked that the lawsuit be dismissed. Weiser is also investigating the Mesa County Sheriff's Office's alleged "coordination" with ICE, which he says violates a state law that bars state and local governments and agencies from assisting ICE with civil immigration enforcement. The U.S. Department of Justice is currently suing the state over these policies.
Fox News
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
In Colorado, state Attorney General Phil Weiser is the lawbreaker, not local deputies
By suing Mesa County Deputy Sheriff Alexander Zwink for sharing information about an illegal alien with federal authorities, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is blatantly violating federal law. The Justice Department has already filed a lawsuit to go after the state law he was enforcing, which violates a specific provision of federal immigration law and the U.S. Constitution. Not only should that state law be declared null and void by a federal court, but the two Colorado deputies and their supervisors who've been disciplined for this should be immediately reinstated and commended for their work. All of this arises out of Zwink's cooperation with federal immigration agents as part of a drug task force. Zwink pulled over a Brazilian college student in a traffic stop. Shortly thereafter, she was arrested and detained by federal authorities because Zwink had "shared her location and a description of her and her vehicle in a group chat that included ICE agents." An "internal investigation" showed that another deputy sheriff who was involved in the task force had also – horror of horrors – "shared immigration information with federal agents." OMG! What a crime! What a dastardly deed! Local law enforcement cooperating and sharing information about illegal aliens with the federal authorities responsible for enforcing federal immigration laws! The two deputies have been removed from the task force by Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell and disciplined along with two supervisors, and a third supervisor who "received counseling" for these unimagined "crimes." All of this is the result of a Colorado state law signed by pro-illegal immigration Gov. Jared Polls that prohibits all government officials in Colorado, including law enforcement agents, from sharing any information about any aliens with federal immigration authorities. The problem with that state law – among many others, including its effect on public safety – is that it directly violates federal law. 8 U.S.C. § 1373 specifically prohibits state and local governments from in any way restricting "any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from," the Department of Homeland Security, "information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual." Moreover, this federal statute also specifies that states cannot prohibit or restrict "exchanging such information with any other Federal, State, or local government entity." This is not a complicated federal law that is hard to understand. States like Colorado cannot prevent deputy sheriffs like Alexander Zwink from doing exactly what he did: share information with federal authorities about an alien. Perhaps Weiser's law school didn't include a course on Constitutional Law 101? If he had taken such a course, he would have learned about the supremacy clause, which provides that the "Constitution, and the Laws of the United States… shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding." Colorado's law is a foolish, blatant violation of federal immigration law and a clear and obvious violation of the supremacy clause. Any actions taken to discipline or otherwise punish local law enforcement officers for violating this reckless state statute are unlawful and a violation of the officers' rights. It's not just that Colorado's sanctuary law violates federal law. It is reckless, because it intentionally allows criminal illegal aliens to remain in communities throughout the state. A horrible example of this is Luis Gusman-Rincon, a gang member who entered the U.S. illegally and was convicted of attempted manslaughter in Arapahoe County, Colorado, after he shot and paralyzed a 16-year-old girl. He should have been handed over to ICE authorities so they could remove this dangerous criminal from the country after he had served his sentence. Instead, due to the state's sanctuary policies, this gangster roamed the state for five years before ICE finally caught him. Or talk to the residents of Colorado Springs and Aurora, where Colorado's irresponsible and rash policies have led to an infestation of illegal gang members who are terrorizing local residents. It really is hard to overemphasize just how stupid it is for a state to go after its law enforcement officials for assisting the federal government in removing illegal aliens, many of whom are dangerous criminals, from the country. Hopefully, the Justice Department will succeed in its lawsuit against a state government that is, it seems, led by thoughtless politicians. Law enforcement agents like Alexander Zwink and his colleagues should be hailed as the type of professionals we want serving as police officers throughout the nation, not disciplined and harassed for complying with a federal law designed to keep us safe.
CBS News
31-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Western Colorado sheriff asks state attorney general to dismiss lawsuit against his deputy after ICE detainment following traffic stop
The Mesa County Sheriff announced this week that disciplinary action has been taken in connection to a western Colorado traffic stop last month in which a college student who was pulled over by one of his deputies was later detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell apologized for the incident and is now asking that Colorado's attorney general dismiss a lawsuit filed against the deputy. On June 5, Deputy Alexander Zwinck pulled over Caroline Dias Goncalves for allegedly following another vehicle too closely and he let her go with a warning. Zwinck reportedly shared the personal information of Dias Goncalves, who is originally from Brazil, in a Signal chat, which included ICE officials, leading to her later detainment by ICE agents. Dias Goncalves was detained for more than 2 weeks by ICE and then released and, according to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, described the experience as "the worst experience of her life." Colorado law places limits on the information local law enforcement officials can provide to federal immigration agents. As a result of the incident, two deputies and a sergeant received unpaid leave and the sheriff's office discontinued use of the chat. The deputy who made the stop was placed on three weeks of unpaid administrative leave and will also be removed from his assignment on the Western Colorado Task Force and will be reassigned to patrol. Rowell stated in his plea to Weiser, who filed the suit, that although the deputy's actions were illegal, his department should handle this with internal training and discipline. Rowell said Weiser was aware of the department's administrative review process and the agency should have been allowed to take corrective actions. "The Administrative Review of events which led to Miss Dias-Goncalves' detainment has been a meticulous process. Our ultimate goal has been to identify potential training, supervision, and policy failures within our Agency to rectify them through thoughtful and well-informed revisions. It is for this reason that I am deeply disappointed in Attorney General Phil Weiser's choice to announce his lawsuit against Deputy Zwinck prior to the completion of our investigation and prior to the determination of internal discipline," Rowell stated. Also on Wednesday, the Colorado State Patrol announced it has discontinued use of that same Signal chat, which includes local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Authorities said the encrypted chat was intended to help law enforcement collaborate on drug enforcement in the state. CSP said it no longer shares information in the Signal chat because of "an apparent lack of shared purpose among all agencies on the platform." "For the Patrol, our use was for operations targeting the combat of drug trafficking and organized crime; other organizations may have different priorities and goals," the agency explained. The sheriff said CSP troopers and other law enforcement officers in the Signal chat routinely behaved similarly to Zwinck, a claim which CSP said is misinformed and premature. Rowell claimed the lawsuit is unfairly singling out Zwinck to make an example of him. Rowell's statement on the administrative review was as follows: "The Mesa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) has well-established practices limiting our involvement in immigration enforcement. However, the Administrative Review conducted in response to Miss Dias-Goncalves' detainment highlighted the need for enhanced training and clarification of evolving legal responsibilities under Colorado Senate Bill 25-276, which had been signed into law 13 days prior to this stop. ... As Sheriff, I take seriously our duty to ensure Deputies remain informed of legal changes impacting our operations. Based on our findings, the Mesa County Sheriff's Office should not have had any role in the chain of events leading to Miss Dias-Goncalves's detention, and I regret that this occurred. I apologize to Miss Dias-Goncalves."
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Local Grand Valley law enforcement agencies hold special flag ceremony
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) – National Police Week began on Sunday. To kick off the week, law enforcement agencies came together Monday morning in front of the Mesa County Sheriff's Office to hold a vigil and a special flag ceremony honoring the fallen. On Monday morning, law enforcement agencies around the Grand Valley came together to commemorate those who have fallen and pay their respects. Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell states, 'We celebrate those who are working in this job right now who continue to provide service to our community, but we also take time to remember those that have lost their lives in the line of duty.' From the Grand Junction Police Department to the Fruita P.D., coming together shows how important it is to keep those strong relationships with their partners, despite the size of the agency. Nick Peck, lieutenant for the Fruita Police Department, states, 'Crime doesn't know boundaries and jurisdictions. So the better relationship that we have together, the better service that the community is able to receive, and the victims are also able to get a better level of service as well.' 'These are people that are part of our communities, willing to put the uniform on and respond to different calls in our community, some of them are dangerous,' Rowell said. Grand Junction Police Department Police Chief Matt Smith states, 'In 1962, President John F. Kennedy formally recognized May 15 of each year as Peace Officers Memorial Day, with a proclamation that reads in part as follows: 'whereas the police officers of America have worked devotedly and selflessly on behalf of the people of this nation, regardless of the peril or the hazards to themselves, and whereas these officers have safeguarded the lives and property of their fellow Americans, and whereas by the enforcement of our laws, these same officers have given our country internal freedom from fear of violence and civil disorder that presently affect other nations, whereas these men and women, by their patriotic service and their dedicated efforts, have earned the gratitude of the Republic, we are grateful to the men and women who have committed their professional lives to serving their communities, and also to the families who send their loved ones out the door each day to do this job.'' Sheriff Rowell tells WesternSlopeNow about the importance of recognizing those who have fallen and the significance of bringing the ones who battle crime every day home to their loved ones. Rowell states, 'There's some things we are not in control of, but the most important thing to me is that our members of our law enforcement family make it home to their family every night.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
